Fox News’ Mort Kondracke: “McCain’s Announcement Speech Was The Best Of All The Announcement Speeches Made This Year … It Was Reaganesque.” “I thought McCain’s announcement speech was the best of all the announcement speeches made thisyear … It was Reaganesque in places, It was optimistic about how America can conquer any problem that it faces if it puts its mind to it. It was really quite eloquent in places. It also was critical of the Bush Administration. It implied that if McCain had been president of the United States, the mistakes that we made in the aftermath of the victory in Iraq would not have been made.… There would never have been the fall down on Katrina, etc. I think that it is a good beginning to the campaign.” (FoxNews’ “Special Report,” 4/25/07)

· (Editorial,“’Maverick’ Still Rides,” The Arizona Republic,4/26/07)

McCain Announced Candidacy For President Before “Enthusiastically Chanting” Crowd In Portsmouth

McCain “Vowed To Confront” Important Issues, Saying “That’s Not Good Enough For America, And When I’m President, It Won’t Be Good Enough For Me.” “In the speech, he vowed to confront issues, including poor veterans care, rising fuel costs, the failing Social Security system and excessive government waste.‘That’s not good enough for America,’ McCain said in a line that he repeated six times during the speech. ‘And when I’m president, it won’t be good enough for me.’” ( Michael D. Shear,“McCain Announces Presidential Bid,” The Washington Post,4/25/07)

McCain Speech Highlighted “Experience, Maturity And Seriousness To Be President.” “Dressed in a dark blue sweater under cloudy skies on the banks of the Piscataqua River, McCain formally announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination, saying he alone possesses the experience, maturity and seriousness to be president in a time of war and domestic uncertainty.” ( Michael D. Shear, “McCain Announces PresidentialBid,” The Washington Post, 4/25/07)

CNN’s Candy Crowley: “This Was A Speech About McCain’s Experience.” “This was a speech about McCain’s experience. … McCain is saying, ‘listen, I know who I am, I understand the world, I understand how Congress works, I understand war.’ So, this was an attempt by McCain to sell his experience, as standing out in the race.” (CNN’s“Your World Today,” 4/25/07)

McCain Delivered “Forceful” Call For Strong Leadership. “In a forceful tone, McCain argued that his background and his experience are the right match for a country that needs strong leadership.” ( Michael D. Shear, “McCain Announces Presidential Bid,” The Washington Post, 4/25/07)

MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough: McCain The Most “Consistent And Conservative” In The Field, “Stands In A League Of His Own. “[T]aken in its entirety, John McCain’s 25 years in Congress show him to be the most consistent major candidate in the race for the Republican nomination. He is far more consistent and conservative on guns, abortion and gay marriage … And when it comes to being conservative with taxpayers’ dollars, McCain stands in a league of his own.” (Joe Scarborough, “McCain KnowsIt’s A Marathon, Not A Sprint,” www.msnbc.msn.com,4/25/07)

Republican Strategist Charlie Black: McCain “Authentic,” An “Unselfish Leader” Who “Means What He Says, And He Will Do What He Says.” “John McCain starts off in pretty good shape, as he offers himself today as the most experienced leader. … What Republican voters want and what the American people want is a president who is authentic, who is an unselfish leader, who does not play politics or put their own self-interests ahead of principle. Sure, John McCain tells it like he sees it. That might not always agree with mainstream Republican opinion, although it usually does – 82 percent lifetime ACU rating. But he – he means what he says, and he will do what he says.” (MSNBC’s “Hardball,” 4/25/07)

· (MSNBC’s “Hardball,” 4/25/07)

· (CNN’s “Your World Today,” 4/25/07)

Morning In America’s Bill Bennett: McCain Is “A Conviction Politician” And The American People “Will Reward Him For That.” “He is running as a conviction politician … I don’t think the American people will punish a conviction politician, a guy who stands up and says ‘I wanted victory in Iraq, we didn’t get victory in Iraq.’ I don’t think he’ll be punished for it. I think as he makes the distinction that he’d rather lose the election than lose the war, the American people, in the long run and this is a long run, will reward him for that.” (NBC’s “Today,”4/25/07)

New Hampshire Voters Praise McCain’s Speech And Conservative Record

Francine Hall Of Exeter, NH: “[H]e’s mycandidate. He’s a high-integrity guy ... People want hope, and he gave a great speech focusing on how he would remedy so many problems we have as a country. … He’s a pro-security person who understands what we need to do.” (Michael McCord, “McCain Tries To Broaden His Base,” Portsmouth Herald, 4/25/07)

State Rep. Maureen Mooney (R-NH): “My job is to make sure that people are aware of what exactly – what kind of voting record he’s compiled the last 25 years he’s been in Congress, all of which have been very conservative, very Republican.” (Fox News’ “Special Report,” 4/25/07)

Carroll County Sherriff Scott Carr: “Personally, I just feel that Senator McCain possesses a great deal of experience, of course, as well as having a great understanding for what people in the military go through.” (Scott Helman, “McCain Aims To Turn His Age To Advantage,” The Boston Globe, 4/26/07)

Peter Rice Of Portsmouth, NH: “He has learned the art of compromise and reaching out to people he disagrees with … But has he given up what he stands for or his principles? Not for one damn minute.” ( Michael D. Shear, “McCain Announces Presidential Bid,” TheWashington Post, 4/25/07)

James Reilley Of Portsmouth, NH: “These extremists mean business against America and I think McCain is the best guy we can put into the White House to deal with them.” (Kevin Landrigan, “McCain Makes 3rd Visit To N.H.,” The [Nashua,NH] Telegraph, 4/26/07)

Prominent Conservative Officials Back McCain For President, Hail His Conservative Record

Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ): McCain “Has More Experience Than All Of The Other Candidates Put Together … You Want That Kind Of A Leader.” “I think you would have to concede that Senator McCain probably has more experience than all of the other candidates put together. He really began his adult life in the service of his country and he has never stopped. Much of that has been oriented toward national security matters, and especially in recent years, where we know how important that is in a leader, Senator McCain has demonstrated his ability to lead in that area, even in areas where it is politically unpopular. You want that kind of a leader.” (Fox News’ “Fox NewsLive,” 4/25/07)

· · · (Sen. John Thune, “Redstate” Blog,“McCain Is The Right Choice,” www.redstate.com,4/25/07)

Former Gov. Frank Keating (R-OK): “McCain’s Consistent Conservative Record” Provides Credibility For Facing Challenges Of Terrorism, Spending And Judicial Vacancies. “As we approach Election Day 2008, the uncertainty of our world necessitates that we elect a person with John McCain’s consistent conservative record. We face difficult choices about Iraq and the War on Terror that have profound implications on our long term security, the consequences of mismanaged federal spending are imminent, and the Supreme Court will likely have important vacancies. Republican voters put a great deal of emphasis on a candidate’s conservative record and the credibility of their nominee,which is why I believe John McCain will be our next president.” (Gov. Frank Keating, “Townhall” Blog,“McCain: The Conservative Candidate,” www.townhall.com, 4/25/07)

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL): McCain Has “The Leadership And Experience” To Put Country Above Ambition. “I think [McCain] has got the leadership and the experience and he has always believed that country comes first before personal ambition and I think that is going to be his theme throughout the campaign.” (MSNBC’s “The Michael Smerconish Show,” 4/25/07)